PROTESTANTISM and Roman Catholicism were seen in a political context and not judged on their merits, a former dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, has said.
Dean Victor Griffin, at a centenary service on Sunday for Downpatrick Church, Co Down, said that to be true to its name, the Church of Ireland should be careful to avoid any action or policy which would support the view that it was primarily the religious dimension of unionism and the British establishment.
"Too often in Northern Ireland Protestantism in general is perceived as the religious dimension of unionism and Roman Catholicism as the religious dimension of nationalism."
This did a disservice to both religion and politics, and both were losers, the Dean said. "The only winners are cynicism and disillusionment with all religion and politics, especially among young people."
Where politics had dominated religion, as in the North, or religion dominated politics, as had happened over many years in the Republic, the integrity of religion and politics was tarnished. "The Church of Ireland, by courage and perseverance, can help to bridge the gap and promote reconciliation between Protestant and Roman Catholic, unionist and nationalist, North and South."
The Christian church still suffered from Constantine establishing it as the official religion of the Empire in the fourth century. "From that time the success of Christianity has been measured by worldly standards, size, quantity, number. Greater numbers mean greater power and influence in a worldly, though not necessarily in a spiritual sense".
In a materialistic age, churches would lose out numerically to indifference, agnosticism, atheism, esoteric sects, fanaticism and so on. "Some will panic and resort to providing liturgical entertainment instead of liturgical worship. But God will never leave himself without witness. What will emerge will be slimmer, fitter, more committed to Christian calling."